A Race Against Time
by Carrie A. Way
Summary: 5 years have passed since the reuniting of the two worlds. Lloyd has been on his own, collecting exspheres in this perfect and peaceful world. Or is it? Caution: spoilers(duh)
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1 Don't forget the past

Lloyd roamed the earth still searching, still collecting. All the exspheres were still not in his grasp. They had not all been destroyed. Those spheres that contained stolen human lives! People struggling to pass on to the afterlife! 5 years had passed. 5 long, lonely years of searching and destroying. Exsphere after exsphere had been found and destroyed. Lloyd's only companion was his pet Noishe. How Lloyd missed all the others. He missed his childhood friends, Genis and Colette, his teacher Raine. Lloyd missed his otherworldly friends. There was the quite Presea, mysterious Regal, sassy Shenna and Zelos. Who could forget Zelos. Lloyd smiled at the memories. Lloyd had grown a bit over the years. He became taller and even stronger. His swordsmanship was surpassed by none. However, there was still his boyish quirkiness and of course he remained, well, stupid. He even wore the same red jacket and suspenders. Then he paused and remembered the two men who had made him who he was. Kratos and Dirk, his two dads. Dirk, his father. The man who raised him and fostered him since he had found Lloyd by the river. Then there was Kratos. Lloyd was Kratos' blood, his son, and Lloyd's real father. Lloyd didn't know him for very long but had learned a great deal from him.

"Whine, whine." Noishe budged at Lloyd's arm.

"Yeah, I miss them all too. But I made a promise that I wouldn't stop searching until I found all the exspheres and that's a promise I'm going to keep! I can't just sit by and let countless people suffer in those exspheres! I will find them all and then we can live happily ever after with our friends. But until then…"Lloyd's voice trailed off. He didn't know how long the adventure would take. He wanted to see his friends again so bad! But then he thought of all the lives trapped in the exspheres. He knew he had to cover every inch of the earth, until everyone was set free. Besides, everyone was on their own journey. They had their own problems and goals to deal with. They wouldn't want to be distracted and neither did he. He continued off and set off to continue his on going search. The day's sun was beginning to set into evening and the air was cooling off. Lloyd looked for a good place to set up camp. The world looked the same since the revival 5 years ago. However it was greener and flowers and crops tended to be in more supply. Must be the mana. Even though it looked a lot the same, it didn't feel the same. It was a lot more peaceful now that Cruxis was gone. There were no more Human ranches and human cultivation plants. No more lives had to be sacrificed for Mithos' selfish plan. Colette was the last Chosen. War and fighting had come to a halt but that didn't mean there were no more battles for Lloyd to fight. The monsters were still a part of the two reunited worlds. He had thought that with the reuniting worlds people would stop fighting. Lloyd ran into a few people with exspheres who refused to give them up. Lloyd had to get rid of them. The people he had to hurt in order to get their exspheres haunted him. He didn't want to hurt anyone now that the two worlds were together but had to accomplish his goal of retrieving those exspheres.

But tonight, Lloyd will learn another truth. Just because Cruxis is gone does not mean there is no more evil in the world. There are still those who crave power. There are still those that hate. Lloyd had no clue that this truth would come attack him that night.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lloyd set up camp and got ready for bed. He was EXHAUSTED! How he would love to have a real bed to sleep in, but the ground would do. He had gotten use to it over the years. Lloyd kicked back and made some curry. He took out his swords. Lloyd had grown quite skilled in weapon making and had forged himself a set of swords. His swords were then blessed by Martel and the Great Tree. They held the power of the gods themselves. They were the most powerful swords the world had ever seen. Lloyd admired them and cleaned them a bit before putting them back in their sheaths. Lloyd lay down, using Noishe for a pillow and gazed at the stars. It was easy to spot Derris-Kharlan. It was the biggest in the sky and it was bright purple. Lloyd could remember how he had rescued the world from becoming life-less beings and having to live on that planet. Kratos was there now.

"Dad, stay strong. I will send for you one day and you can come live here, with me. I will see you again, one day." Lloyd doze off and fell into a deep sleep. Then, Lloyd began to dream. He was in a field; bodies were everywhere. There was an eerie feeling to the place. It was dark, dreary and foggy; the air was heavy with the smell of blood. There were two hills on either side of the field. One was white and one black. Lloyd stood on a wall in between the two hills. A few steps from him was a key. In front of the key were three doors. One door was in favor of the white hill and one door in favor of the white hill. They had beautiful markings with angelic words written on them. They both offered Lloyd things and made him promises. The third door was plain. It had no special markings and no extravagant designs, no gifts, no promises. It was just a door. Lloyd went to pick up the key. Lloyd heard a loud noise. He woke with a start and opened his eyes. Noishe leapt up and Lloyd's head hit the ground. Noishe growled at something in the darkness. Lloyd wanted to think about the dream and what it could mean, but there was no time. He had to see what was in the dark. Was it another monster? No threat. Or was it something more? Then a man in royal armor jumped out of the bushes. Lloyd recognized them, it was one of the Papal knights, in league with the Pope.

"If you come with us Lloyd Irving, your life will be spared," said the leader of the trio.

"And if I refuse?" replied Lloyd. He attacked. There was no way he would go down without a fight. Plus, a few knights would be no problem for a swordsman with Lloyd's skill. Lloyd went after the weaker two first. He struck at the knight's chest; his blow was blocked. Lloyd saw an axe from another attacker coming straight for his head. Lloyd ducked, turned and drove his sword through the knight's armor, delivering a critical wound. Lloyd went after the first knight again. Lloyd parried the axe of the strongest knight and kept going after his first target. The knight swung his axe at  
Lloyd. Lloyd jumped over the axe and attacked the knight with rising falcon. One knight down, two to go. Lloyd went after the knight he had injured before. The knight turned to fight. Lloyd delivered a hunting beast to sting his enemy, followed by a sonic thrust to finish him off. It was only Lloyd and the strongest knight now.

"You are stronger then you look. I have a message for you Lloyd Irving. Come quietly and you will live to hear it."

"Not likely," replied Lloyd. Lloyd ran after the knight. He jumped in the air and struck at the knight. The knight blocked his attack and retaliated with a mighty swing of his axe. Lloyd dodged it and struck at the knight's leg. His swords made contact with armor and pierced through and into flesh. He raised his mighty swords and struck, piercing through to his heart. The knight collapsed and looked at Lloyd, gasping for breath. The knight began to say something.

"The message…is from the Pope…He has…your friends…Genis and …Raine," the knight trailed off and tried to catch his breath. Lloyd grew angry. What would the Pope do with them? Why did he want them? Questions grew in his head.

"Tell me more! What else do you have to say!"

"The Pope…requests…your presence…to discuss…matters of interest…Go to him…if you value…your friend's lives…Also…al…so…" The knight's eyes rolled back into his head and he let out his last breath. Lloyd became enraged! The Pope had his friends and was going to kill them!

"Also! Also what!" Lloyd grabbed the knight and shook him violently. Lloyd let go and sat to himself thinking. Why did the Pope have his friends? What did he want with him? Lloyd knew that the Pope hated half-elves but thought it would all change once the world was reunited and once Cruxis was gone. There was only one way to find out these questions. Lloyd would have to go to see the Pope in Meltokio.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lloyd set of for Meltokio. He was enraged! He had worked so hard to bring peace to the world and the Pope had to go and ruin it! What's the deal! Not only that but the Pope had his friends! Lloyd wasn't sure of which friends the Pope had. He didn't care. Lloyd would stand up and fight for them! Lloyd was flying along on his rheaird toward Meltokio, when he saw something off in the distance. It was Exire. The city of the half-elves. Lloyd looked on in awe as he rode by. Something about the city struck him. It was so beautiful in the sky. You could sense the pain of the city just by looking at it. So lost, so sad. Genis and Raine were out trying to bring the races together. Lloyd kept going. No time to waste! Upon arriving in Meltokio, Lloyd noticed that there were guards waiting at the gates of the city.

"Lloyd Irving, the Pope has requested your presence. Come with us." Lloyd followed the guards through the great gates. He looked down the streets. To his left were some shops and houses. Then Lloyd looked to his right. There were the Meltokio slums, where the poor lived. There had been no improvements made. The roads were still dirt and the peasants who lived there wore rags. Lloyd continued on and climbed a magnificent staircase. Upon reaching the very top of the staircase, Lloyd looked to his right again. The houses were no longer shacks; they were now beautiful, radiant mansions. The people in the streets wore outfits fit for a king. The woman wore dresses of silk and lace. The men wore suits of the finest material. One of Lloyd's friends' lived there. Zelos. Zelos was Tethealla's Chosen. It automatically made him rich and famous. He was popular with the girls and could sweet-talk anyone. Zelos came off as a very shallow person, but Lloyd knew just how deep he could sometimes be.

"Move along!" a guard commanded Lloyd, shoving him in the back. Lloyd kept walking. He looked ahead and saw the palace. It had stonewalls and red carpets. Guards watched the front door. To Lloyd's left was Martel's Temple. Lloyd turned and entered the building. Inside was a door that led to the Pope's office. How had the Pope regained his position after trying to kill the King? The guards led him inside the Pope's office.

"You must be wondering why you are here," announced the Pope.

"That's one of the things I'm wondering. Along with how did you regain your position after trying to kill the King and kidnapping his daughter!"

The Pope chuckled, "Let's just say I have my ways. We need to discuss certain matters. I need you. I need you to fight for me."

"I would never fight for you!"

"What if your friends Genis and Raine's lives were on the line?"

Genis and Raine! Raine was Lloyd's teacher and Genis was his best friend! Genis was always loyal and Lloyd's best friend in the world! Raine had always watched out for him, almost like a mother. Lloyd wouldn't let them hurt.

"You hurt them and I swear it'll be the last thing you do!"

"They're in the Coliseum as we speak. They have no weapons among them and are completely defenseless. I give the signal and a dragon will be unleashed on them. They will die for the entertainment of the city!"

"Why do you need me to fight for you?"

"Take the job and it will all be made clear."

Lloyd wasn't sure what to do. Should he save his friends and take the job? But Lloyd didn't know why he would fight for the Pope. The Pope was a liar and had betrayed many. Lloyd knew he couldn't trust him. Lloyd made a plan. He would jump out the window and make a run for the Coliseum, where he would rescue his friends. Lloyd got ready to leap into action.

"Never! I would never work for you! You're a liar and betrayer! I could never trust you!"

"As you wish." Before Lloyd could do anything a light engulfed Lloyd. Lloyd was paralyzed and collapsed to the floor.

"Ahhh! Gauh! I…I can't move!"

"You should've fought for me! Now you will all die. Guards, put him in the special cell we made just for him. Send a messenger to the arena. Tell them to kill the two half-elves!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_The Pope will pay for this! If anything happens to Genis or Raine, I swear it'll be the last thing he does! How will I get out of here? It's pure concrete and they have my weapons! _thought Lloyd. Lloyd had been imprisoned and was thrown into a deep pit. There was no way out. All that Lloyd could do was sit and wait. He had to hope that Genis and Raine would be ok by themselves inside the arena.

00000

The people inside the Coliseum were growing impatient to see if the half-elves would be persecuted or not. They began to chant, "Kill the half-elves! Show us some blood! Entertain us!" Their patience was growing thin. One man in the audience wasn't too happy about the day's source of entertainment. There was nothing good about killing others, even if they were of a different race. The man watched on as the wind caught his long, red locks. He gripped the handle of his sword.

Genis looked at his big sister, "What do we do?"

"I don't know," replied Raine as she looked at the arena's entrance, where the dragon waited to be unleashed.

Then the command was given and the dragon was set free. The two half-elves didn't know what to do. They ran from the dragon the best that they could. They had no weapons to fight back with. Just then, the man with the red hair jumped down into the arena.

"Zelos!" exclaimed Genis.

"Hey brat! Thought the beautiful Raine would need some rescuing."

Raine rolled her eyes, "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"Of course I have! I'm manlier then I was 5 years ago and have become quite the knight in shinning armor. Here, I thought you might need these," Zelos tossed Raine her staff and Genis his kahdama. "Now let's do this thing!" He shouted excitedly. Genis ran back from the dragon and began to twirl his kahdama. Genis finished calling up the spell and raised his kahdama in the air. Then a glowing sword came down from the sky and struck the dragon. It cried in pain. Zelos ran up to the dragon and attacked it full force. During his attacking, he was struck in mid-air by a scorching breath of fire. He fell to the ground injured.

"First aid!" cried Raine. Zelos was back on his feet, fully healed and attacking the dragon once more.

"Team attack!" bellowed Zelos. The three gathered around the dragon and struck simultaneously. The dragon let out a final whelp of pain before succumbing to his injuries. The crowd's hunger for entertainment had been fed they were all on their feet, applauding and cheering.

"I have a feeling that this fanfare won't last long. How do we escape the guards?" asked Genis. The guards were beginning to enter the arena, swords drawn. The three were clearly outnumbered. The guards all surrounded the three victims. Suddenly, darkness covered the entire arena. There was mass chaos and no one could see anything. The only things being heard were the sounds of panic. The darkness lifted as quickly as it had come. Everyone looked to the center of the arena, but there was no one there. The two half-elves and the redhead were gone. The guards all looked at each other in bewilderment.

Outside the Coliseum, in a nearby bush, four people were now standing. Genis, Raine and Zelos had been rescued by a girl. She was wearing a purple kimono and a pink sash. Her dark hair shown streaks of purple. Her fists were clenched and she had a stern, angry look on her face.

"Zelos, I told you to take my hand! But of course, you had to grab for other areas, didn't you! I guess 5 years hasn't made you grow up at all, has it!"

"Woo, Shenna, as a fiery and hot-headed as ever! Relax, it's not that big of a deal," replied Zelos, "I knew those summon spirit's were good for something," he said under his breath.

"What was that!" demanded Shenna. More enraged now then before.

"Nothing, nothing! I heard Lloyd is being kept in the basement of the castle. We need to rescue him. Maybe you can use your summon spirit of darkness again," Zelos said as he nudged Shenna with his elbow.

"You're unbelievable!" exclaimed Shenna as she walked away. She started walking towards the castle and soon everyone else followed. They didn't have a plan but knew that the palace would be heavily guarded. The roads of the city were completely empty because everyone was busy at the Coliseum.

"Shenna, wait up! We don't have a plan yet! Let's go back to Zelos' and get this all sorted out. Then we can rescue Lloyd," suggested Raine. Sheena stopped and turned around. She looked at Zelos and gave him a dirty look. Then she began to storm off in the direction of Zelos' house.

"You know," Zelos called after her, "most girls would've taken that as a compliment." Zelos ran to catch up with her. Sheena didn't look at him. She kept her eyes on the pathway ahead.

"Well, I'm not one of your honeys! I haven't been around you for the past 5 years and aren't use to guys gawking at me."

"Well, you do have a nice as…assets. Like I always say, if you got it, flaunt it! But seriously, I have matured a little over the past years and will try to respect you." Shenna looked at him. He was serious. She could see it in his eyes.

They all walked to Zelos' mansion and went in to start their plan on rescuing Lloyd.

00000

Lloyd paced back and forth in his cell. There were only walls and no doors. He was stuck in a deep pit. The walls were as smooth as a pebble on the beach, smoothed by the sand and sea. There was no way he could climb out. Lloyd stopped and sat against the wall. He brought his knees up to this chest and rested his forehead on them. He was thinking about Raine and Genis. He wondered if they were ok. It had been nearly a day since he found out that they were to be executed in the Coliseum. Then, something hit him on his head. He picked his head up and found a rope dangling in front of his face. Lloyd stood up and saw a head peaking over the side. It was Genis!

"Gen…" Lloyd began.

"Shhhhhh!" commanded Genis, "You don't want to wake the guards up!" Lloyd shut his mouth and grabbed hold of the rope. He began to climb up. Upon reaching the top, a hand reached out for his. Lloyd took it and looked at whose hand he was holding. It was Zelos! Looking around, Lloyd could see that Raine and Shenna were there too!

"How did you get in here?" Lloyd exclaimed in a whispered voice.

"The same way we're getting out," replied Shenna, "Come on, we need to get out of here before the guards wake-up!" The group snuck towards a secret corridor. They entered it and made their way through its long, winding tunnels. They came out of a whole in the castle's wall.

"Those blue prints sure do come in handy!" exclaimed Zelos, "Now let's go back to my place. I'm sure you're all hungry and tired. It's our first night together in 5 years! Let's feast!" Lloyd smiled. Nothing had changed. Four of his friends were still the same. Now he just needed to find the other 3 and his dad. But, there was something going on in this not so perfect world. He needed to share what he knew with his friends and see what would happen. Somehow, this perfect world wasn't too perfect after all.


End file.
